Sept. 9, 2016
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech volleyball team (7-2) swept Georgia (8-1) to hand the Bulldogs their first loss of the season on Friday night in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd at O’Keefe Gymnasium.
The Yellow Jackets won the Georgia Challenge winning all three matches. Senior Teegan Van Gunst was named the tournament MVP, while freshman Kodie Comby and junior Gabriela Stavnetchei were named to the all-tournament team.
Teegan Van Gunst tallied her 1,000th career dig in the match, making her just one of eight Yellow Jackets all time to eclipse 1,000 career digs and kills.
How It Happened
Up 4-3 in game one, the Jackets extended that to 8-3 behind the aggressive serving of London Ackermann who had two aces in that span. The Bulldogs closed the gap late in the game to one point 21-20, spurring a Georgia Tech timeout. The Jackets regrouped and closed out the set with a 25-22 win.
The tide turned in set two with Georgia taking an 11-7 lead. Tech recovered from the deficit to tie the set 21-21. The next four points for the Jackets came from Kodie Comby and Gabriela Stavnetchei for set point 24-21, but Georgia fought back to tie it again 24-24. Georgia committed back-to-back errors and the Yellow Jackets took the set 26-24.
Set three was a back and forth battle. Down 14-13, Tech scored four straight points thanks to solid blocking at the net to take a 17-14 lead. Georgia fought back to a 21-20 lead, but three straight kills from Teegan Van Gunst put Tech ahead 22-21. The teams battled for match point, but the Yellow Jackets put it away on a kill by Teegan Van Gunst 29-27.
Quote
“It was a great atmosphere tonight,” head coach Michelle Collier said. “Both teams played really hard and fought for every point. It was really great volleyball all around.
“It means a lot to the seniors to beat Georgia. Teegan has been our backbone and the player we go to in tough situations. She showed up big tonight. She’s playing aggressive on both sides of the court and it’s rare to see a player’s that can do that to the level that she does.”
Quick Hits
– Teegan Van Gunst recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs
– Gabriela Stavnetchei added 10 kills
– Annika Van Gunst and London Ackermann each had 13 digs
– Kodie Comby had eight kills and hit .400 in the match
– Georgia Tech out-blocked Georgia 11 to five, and out-hit the Bulldogs .227 to .145.
What’s Next
Georgia Tech takes on North Florida on Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. at the Coastal Carolina Tournament, followed by a 7 p.m. match against Coastal Carolina.
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